Drishti Handmade — birthstone RSS

This week we discuss the Lustrous Gem aka the Solar Plexus Chakra. Associated with fire and yellow, this chakra is the seat of confidence and personal power!

Ruby watercolor by Michelle Constantinescu So full disclosure I’m a July baby and even though some of the FACTS on rubies I might present here seem a little biased, I can assure you there are in fact not. Andrea thinks she scored with April – Diamond but she’s grossly misinformed…July babies have the best birthstone, rubies. Ruby is red gemstone formed from an aluminum oxide in the same family as sapphires. The word “ruby” comes from the Latin ‘ruber’ meaning ‘red’. The red in rubies comes from the element chromium.  Fact #1. Rubies are the most valued gemstone. Yes, rubies are more valuable than diamonds. Rubies have a long history with mankind and date back to the ancient Hindus as large...

herkimer diamond watercolor by Michelle Constantinescu April is here which means Aries season is in full effect, and if that weren’t annoying enough already, we have an entire month dedicated to the most overrated, over-hyped, over-priced stone out there. If you are a conscious human on this planet you are probably painfully aware of how artificially inflated the price of diamonds are. Past what most people would consider normal too, this is no accident and we can thank the De Beers Group for this. If you want to do your own research on the matter, google De Beersand you’ll see “blood diamond”, “price fixing” and “antitrust/monopoly” pop up so often you’ll think you’re reading a rejected Bond-movie villain backstory. Diamonds...

Opal watercolor by Michelle Constantinescu November is another month that has two birthstones: Citrine, and Topaz. Citrine is becoming harder and harder to find as an authentic gemstone as the vast majority of citrine is actually heated amethyst. Just google “citrine heat treated amethyst” to see more articles about it than you care to read ;) We’ll be focusing on Topaz instead. Topaz is a type of silicate mineral, and is the hardest silicate on the Mohs scale (8:10). Topaz is a fairly transparent mineral and because it’s so hard, it has become used widely in jewelry. Commonly known for a beautiful amber brown, yellow color, Topaz actually comes in a variety of colors from blue, all the way to...

Opal watercolor by Michelle Constantinescu Opal is October’s opulent and ostentatious birthstone, but not the only one. October is another dual birthstone month, Tourmaline shares the spotlight. Out of all the birthstones we love, Opal is one of the most captivating and visually striking of the bunch. Pushing out vibrant colors the entire range of the rainbow, Opal is one of the most fascinating stones we carry. Opal is a variety of silica, and because its content may include a large percent of water, is actually considered a “mineraloid”. Because of the unusual non-crystalline structure of most opals, they are comparatively brittle compared to most birthstones and should be treated delicately. The name “opal” derives from the Greek word opallios which...